Stall? Stop? What's happening?

[Hermione]

:help: Hi everyone!!

I feel great on this low carb.. I see very positive changes... but I stopped losing weight!

I held steady over the last two weeks thinking "ok.. it's just a stall", but it's not coming off anymore.

I enter every morsel that goes into my mouth on fitday. I cut from 3 pots of coffee down to 3 cups. I count 3 carbs for the 3 packets of splenda for the 3 cups. I count the carbs and measure the creamer. My worst day was 25 carbs of which 8 were fiber.. so I still had under 20 net. My calories are now around 1100 - 1200. I exercise at least one hour a day at between 122 and 136 heart rate. I just started working out at the gym with weights... nothing serious... 100 lbs on the bench.. lighter weights like that just to take my muscles out of amnesia mode. I move more than I have in 8 years. The only meds I'm taking are Lasix and vitamins and supplements as follows:
Zinc
Potassium
Magnesium
Chromium picolinate
Vitamin E
Flaxseed Oil capsules
Psyllium husk capsules
Vitamin C
Alpha Lipoic Acid

I'm drinking between five and eight 16.9oz bottles of water a day and one 16.9oz bottle of Diet Lipton Green Tea w/citrus

Could any of these supplements be contributing to the stall?

Any input is greatly appreciated. I was so psyched, and I'm slowly losing my resolve. Yes, this way of eating is making me feel better, but the bottom line is that I WANT TO LOSE THIS WEIGHT. I'd like to lie and say "oh, the weight doesn't matter as long as I get healthier" but the truth is.. it matters very much.

Any words of wisdom from the more experienced?

Thank you!
Blessings all around!
Lori

[5kiddos]

Some people just need to tweek it a little. Some need more fat, some more calories, etc. Also, are you measureing weekly? Many times your weight won't change but you are smaller when you measure. If I were you I would try upping the carbs just a little to see what happens and increase the calories.

btw, I lost 108 lbs in 2005-2006...only to totally lose track when I got pg and the ppd. So I have done this before. =)

The biggest advice I can give is be consistent. It WILL come off! You are doing great! Oh..sometimes your body just needs to take a little time to adjust to the changes for a few weeks...and sometimes longer. HUGS!

Janel
btw, some also have tried the m&e to jumpstart again...though I have never tried it.

[pennink]

2 weeks does not a stall make... i do that all the time while i'm losing inches.
I also drink the iced tea...

You could be adjusting to what you're eating and you need to mix it up, you could need to look at your calories as you lose, could be sodium, could be processed foods... could be a muscle gain.
I always lose like this now. The first 50 seemed to fly off then the stalls started and did something stupid (kimkins) and it took me a while to get back to proper dieting. Now I'm losing again.

down, up, stall, up, down... like a rollercoaster.

[NewRuth]

You may actually need to eat more.

This site http://www.nutritiondata.com/tools/calories-burned

says that a sedentary 5'6", 250 pound, woman, aged 35 with no additional exercise burns 2475 calories per day.

The same woman at your goal weight of 160 would burn 2030.

You might want to research BMR and calorie deficit. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that women don't consume less than 1200 calories per day.

Read some of the kimkins survivor stories to learn that less isn't always better.
http://kimkinssurvivors.wordpress.com/

[diemde]

With the introduction of weight lifting, did you cut back on the cardio? How many times per week are you lifting now? When you lift weights you will hold more liquid in your body, which may mask your weight loss. That's normal and to be expected. I would suggest 2 or 3 cardio only days and 3 or 4 lifting days, and then take the 7th day off exercise. If you like cardio, you can also do a little bit after your lifting, but don't do more than an hour or so of exercise all together.

I would bump carbs up to 30 net on cardio only days and 50 or more on lifting days. Target your extra 20 carbs on lifting days around your work out (10 before, 10 after). Your weightlifting will burn those off, so you don't need to "count" them as part of your lc diet.

I also agree that you may be eating too few calories. While it won't hurt to eat less occassionally, you should probably increase to around 1700-1800 per day on average and taper that down as you lose weight. When you eat fewer calories, your metabolism slows down. Spread these throughout the day as much as you can to help regulate your metabolism.

[lynn64]

For your weight I think you need more calories. When I drop my calories that low I can't lose. Make sure you add some good fats to your diet. Good luck.

[Kary]

Look how much weight you've lost :D You are doing really great :sunny:. After I lose 40 to 50 pounds I always stall. On the one occasion I stuck it out I started losing again after 3 or 4 weeks. Sometimes you just have to hang in there. I do know that Dr. Atkins said the supplement GLA (about 400 mg a day he said) helped to break stalls. I have never tried it, but this time around I have a bottle of it I got on Amazon.com so I can be prepared for it when I do stall :).

[Hermione]

There's some good information here.... I'm so afraid to increase calories. I'm in full panic right now. I got on the scale and see I've gained a full 4 lbs. NOW I'm scared!

Diemde: I just started weight lifting 2 days ago. I did it because I hadn't lost anything and I thought it would give me a boost. Since July I've missed only 1 day of cardio because of some dental surgery. I do one hour a day in 2/30 minute sessions. I know more carbs make sense when lifting, but I'm trying to prevent the high spikes in sugar since I stopped taking the fast acting insulin before meals.

What food do you suggest will boost carbs...broccoli? I try to do either broccoli or zucchini for my cup of veggies per day.

Lynn64: Good fats? .... a tablespoon of flax seed oil in my eggs .. like that?

Pennink: I have been eating the Oscar Meyer Shaved Turkey (in the package) 1 carb per serving and the Oscar Meyer Shaved Ham (in the package) 0 carb per serving.. I've been eating much less of it lately because of the thought of it being processed. The ham was only a recent addition. I use .5 serving in 1 egg in the morning. Could I have lost all of this initial weight using that Turkey and now it's turning on me?

I'm still throwing ketones, but I've read over and over again that this means nothing. We will produce ketones after a fatty meal, or even produce ketones when we are eating too many calories simply because the calories are coming from fat and this does not mean we are burning our excess fat, only the fat we're taking in with our meals.

This is doing a number on me. I worked too hard to see this gain again.

[diemde]

Ok, relax a bit. Gaining 4 lbs in a matter of a day or 2 is always water weight gain. To gain that much fat, you would need to eat 14000 calories more than what you used. And we know you didn't do that. You can expect to have wider fluctuations when you lift because of water weight gain and it's ok when this happens. Lifting is really, really good for weight loss, so you are doing the right thing by adding it to your workouts.

What you'll want to do is track your 7 day average for weight. Take your last 7 days, add up your weights and divide by 7. Use that to assess your progress. It takes your body 24 to 48 hours to repair the muscles after doing resistance training, so tracking the 7 day average helps eliminate the spikes from the water weight gains.

Don't let the scale fluctuations scare you because the scale really doesn't reflect the amount of fat that is melting off your body. The scale reflects fat and lean mass, which includes your skeleton, veins, the amount of food in your system, water being stored, etc. On a low carb plan, you will lose fat and retain more lean mass than other diets plans. In addition, when you are new to resistance training you may add a tiny bit of muscle. So the scale can really derail you if place too much importance on it.

I would recommend you consider buying a body fat analyzer. I have one from Omron and it helps me to see how much fat I have versus lean mass. They aren't 100% accurate, though, so you would just use it to see the trending over time. When I first started exercising, it really helped me deal with the excess water weight gain.

As far as food goes, I don't follow Atkins, so I'm probably not the best one to advise you. Ideally, you want fast acting carbs just before and after a lifting session. Since you are trying to avoid insulin spikes, you can eat slower acting carbs before lifting, but do them about an hour before, rather than just before. You want some carbs so that your body has the energy to do the resistance training. And then after you've trained, you want some carbs and protein (no fat). You want an insulin spike to drive the protein/amino acids into your muscle cells. This will actually improve you insulin sensitivity. Since you are worried about it, start with a small amount, maybe 5 carbs and see how it affects you.

[bunsenBeak]

Hi Lori-

Dianne is right about relaxing about this and that it cannot be true weight gain due to the number of calories that would have to be involved. When you are diabetic and overweight, there are tons of things that can cause what feels like a derailment in the short term. Our bodies are such complex things that it is unlikely that any one thing is causing the gain.

I'm so sorry that you don't have access to supportive medical staff or a local group. I know that the people I had access to on a regular basis have made a big difference in my learning about what works for me and why over the years (even if I didn't always utilize that knowledge!). It is wonderful that so many people here can share their experiences and insights to help address that.

Of the things you have described as happening lately, lack of sleep can definitely impact your weight loss and stress can drive your sugars up all on its own. I think it can be shocking when your steady progress seems to fail you and it is natural to want to do SOMETHING, ANYTHING to change things. It has taken a long time to get where you are and it will take time and patience to really change things for good. I imagine it will be hard, but if you can do some of the things that others have suggested to decrease your focus on your weight, it really will help.

As hard as the dieting and exercise are, the emotional side of this degree of change can be just as or more difficult. It is very hard to leave behind old habits and reactions, even when they don't serve you in the long term. It is harder when you don't have people around who understand or have experienced it to help you over the rough spots. I find the "not knowing what is going on" to be hugely stressful, but when I can distract myself, keep doing what I know I should, and just give things time, the unexplained things balance out on their own.

You are doing a great job. You have made progress overall. Don't let a little water get in your way - you are so much stronger than that!
-Heather

[Hermione]

Ok, relax a bit. Gaining 4 lbs in a matter of a day or 2 is always water weight gain. To gain that much fat, you would need to eat 14000 calories more than what you used. And we know you didn't do that. You can expect to have wider fluctuations when you lift because of water weight gain and it's ok when this happens. Lifting is really, really good for weight loss, so you are doing the right thing by adding it to your workouts.


Ok.. lots of good info here. I got a visit from the woosh fairy early this morning (makes me wish I would have waited before freaking out), and the gain fell off plus 2 lbs. Praise God! I still have a hard time with that "let go and let God" thing. *sigh* :bash:

I'm new to restarting weight training.. but when I left the gym 8 years ago, I was benching 225 on the negatives, so 100 wasn't a big push. I AM sore (and I like it). Also, when I left.. I was 180 lbs. I know I don't need all of that mass anymore (I'm getting kinda old), but I thought 180 was a reasonable goal rather than say 150. 180 is more attainable I think.

I'm sorry for freaking out.. but it's been so long since I've felt human and I want to feel human again.. nevermind the fact I don't remember what it's like to be a female. I got on a roll, the roll stopped, and the paranoia came back.

I'm tweaking a bit more.. I'm dropping the .33 cup of mozarella I have in the morning.. in fact.. dropping all cheese (so hard for an Italian woman from Jersey.. but that's life).. and those eggs are dull without a tablespoon of romano.

(Do I sound too desperate?) :lol: Well.. I am.

Thanks for the handholding... I'm gonna shaddup and get on the bike, and I have to cut some more wood.. so that'll be the only exercise today.

Blessings all around everyone!
Lori